A brief History and Discography of the Reform Art Unit and its offsprings
1957-1964
Early experiments in improvisation by Toni Michlmayr with music students and soloists created the beginning of a Viennese School of Free Improvisation. Also in Vienna, visual and performing artists Harun Barabbas and Padhi Friehberger experimented together in their own way, as did the musician and fine artist Fritz Novotny with political writer Rolf Schwendter.
1961
The Richard Ahmed Pechoc Trio with Karl Anton Fleck, Walter Malli and Richard Ahmed Pechoc did the new thing in Graz and Vienna.
1963
It all led to the founding of the Masters of Unorthodox Jazz (MOUJ) with the Grazer musicians Alaeddin Adlernest and Walter Malli joining together in Vienna with Harun Barabbas, Toni Michlmayr and Richard Ahmed Pechoc.
1965
The founding of the Reform Art Unit (RAU) by Fritz Novotny (ss) with Sepp Mitterbauer (p,tp) and different drummers: Günther Gafton, Fritz Kotrba, Marijan Pakar
1966-1967
Various concerts and sessions in and around Vienna
1968
MAY "Trio-Sextet" RAU, MC: GR 68401/RAU 1000 (unreleased)
MAY-JUN Double concerts and joint sessions with MOUJ and RAU feat. Kent Carter, Don Cherry, Ambrose Jackson, Sunny Murray
SEP Radio: Reform Art Trio "Song for Kent"
Archive: 2 tapes
1969
APR "On the other side" RAU at the Museum of 20th Century, Vienna MC: GR 69401/ RAU 1001
"For John Coltrane and Pablo Picasso" RAU, CD: VOVES 90001 / RAU 1002 (released 1996)
"Overground" MOUJ, LP: HGB 1001 (out of print)
Archive: several tapes (feat. Peter Wolf, etc.)
1970
JAN "New Jazz from Vienna" RAU, LP: ESP 2002 (unreleased)
MAY "Conversation" RAU, MC: GR 70401 / RAU 1002
JUN "Darjeeling" RAU with Ram Chandra, LP: WM 20011 (out of print)
"Yen Goku" RAU with Ram Chandra, MC: GR 70402 / RAU 1003
TV: Movie "Arena 70"
1971
MAY "Vienna Jazz Avantgarde" RAU and MOUJ, LP(2): WM 20019 (out of print)
JUL Radio: RAU meets Ram Chandra and Barre Phillips at "Musikforum Ossiach"
1972
JAN TV: "RAU with Carla Bley" feat. Ram Chandra and Mike Mantler
JUN Radio: "Live in Ljubljana" RAU
"Live in Ljubljana" RAU meets Ram Chandra, MC: GR 72401/ RAU 1004
Session with Jack Monterose (ts,ss) in Ljubljana
Archive: Film Ljubljana / Klagenfurt
1973
JUN Radio: "Live in Altena" RAU meets Ram Chandra and Franz Koglmann
Archive: Film "Altena"
1974
OCT Radio: "Steirischer Herbst" RAU meets Ram Chandra and Peter Kowald
Archive: 11 tapes
1975
DEC "Railway East" RAU, LP+MC: GR 75401 / RAU 1005
Archive: 12 tapes
1976
MAR Radio: "The Improvising Orchestra" with Xavier Breteau, Paul Fields, Franz Koglmann, Peter Kowald, Paul Lovens, Walter Malli, Jouk Minor, Sepp Mitterbauer, Fritz Novotny, Evan Parker, Günther Rabl, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Josef Traindl
MAY TV: "Bewegungen" RAU with Elly Naschold
AUG Concert with Justus Neumann
Archive: 13 tapes
1977
SEP "Impulse Maria Schutz" Three Motions (TM), LP: KKM RAU 1006
"RAU with Alaeddin Adlernest", LP: KKM RAU 1007
1978
"Athanor" MOUJ and Josef Traindl, LP: HGB 1002 (unreleased)
JAN "Project of Art" Mitterbauer Quartet, MC: GR 78401
SEP "Suite for Clifford" TM meets Clifford Thornton in Nickelsdorf, MC: GR 78402 /RAU 1008
OCT "Impressions" TM meets Anthony Braxton and Clifford Thornton in Krems, LP: KKM RAU 1010
Radio: "The Improvising Orchestra" with Paul Fields, Heinz Jäger, Franz Koglmann, Walter Malli, Sepp Mitterbauer, Fritz Novotny, Giselher Smekal, Clifford Thornton, Josef Traindl
Archive: 9 tapes
1979
AUG "Popular Dreams" TM meets Beate Bekay, MC: GR 79401 / RAU 1009-1
OCT "October in Lower Austria" RAU, MC: GR 79402 / RAU 1009-2
"Playing Games" TM at Wiener Konzerthaus, Vol.1+2, MC: GR 79403 / RAU 1009-3; GR 79404 / RAU 1009-4
"Gorilla" George Brown meets Walter Malli, LP: Message Records 002 (out of print)
Archive: 3 tapes
1980
OCT "Live at Opus One" The Sunny Murray - Fritz Novotny Four, LP: GR 80401 (unreleased)
Archive: 6 tapes
1981
MAR Radio: "Jazz Festival Wien - Eternal Unit" at Sophien-Saal with Ram Chandra and Linda Sharrock
JUN Radio: "Three Motions with Linda harrock and the Chamber Music Ensemble" at the Museum of 20th Century, Vienna
NOV Tour: Andrew Cyrille - Fritz Novotny Duo
Archive: 5 tapes
1982
MAR "Pannonian Flower" TM, LP: KKM RAU 1011
NOV Tour: Burton Green - Fritz Novotny Unit
Archive: 6 tapes
1983
SEP "To James Joyce" Paul Fields - Fritz Novotny Duo, LP: JFR 84501 / RAU 1012 MC: GR 83402 / RAU 1012
1984
MAR Radio:"Wide Fields"
"Live at the University" Wide Fields, MC: GR 84402; CD: GR 94004
Film music "Up and down" by Fritz Novotny for a Jörg Eggers Movie
APR Tour: Andrew Cyrille - Fritz Novotny Duo
"To Frederico Fellini. Music for popular thinkers" Wide Fields, CD: GR 94004 (released 1994)
MAY Radio "The Improvising Orchestra" live at Szene Wien, 24 Soloists incl. Richard Isaiah, Walter Malli, Sepp Mitterbauer, Fritz Novotny, Niko Polymenakos, Mario Rechtern and Linda Sharrock
"Mistery Journey" The Improvising Orchestra, MC: GR 84403
AUG "1984" Wide Fields meet Linda Sharrock MC: GR 88406; CD: GR 94004
Archive: 13 tapes
1985
JAN "Jazz for Thinkers" Tasten meets Niko Polymenakos and Linda Sharrock, LP: KKM RAU 1013
Radio: "Live at the Ensemble Theater" RAU
"Live at the Ensemble Theater" RAU, MC: GR 85405 / RAU 1014
MAR "For Africa" TM with Louis Moholo, MC: GR 85406 / RAU 1015
Tour: Louis Moholo - Fritz Novotny Unit
APR TV: 2 video clips with Paul Fields and Fritz Novotny
JUL "Live at the Jazz Summit" Wide Fields, MC: GR 85407; CD: GR 94004
AUG "Ensemble" Fields - Karner - Klaffenböck, LP: GR 85504; MC: GR 89404
Archive: 9 tapes
1986
JAN Workshops with Poet Hermann Schürrer
Archive: 14 tapes
1987
FEB "Babel" Acting Seven and Clan Music Overdrive, LP: KKM RAU 1016-1; CD: KKM RAU 1016-2
JUN "Somateme" Giselher Smekal and Mia Zabelka, LP: RZ 10002
JUL "Human Dates" Part of Clan, LP: GR 87101 (out of print); MC: GR 87408
Archive: 12 tapes
1988
JUL "Music Overdrive" The Clan, LP: GR 89106; MC: GR 88404
Archive: 14 tapes, 1 video
1989
JUN "Live at the Gymnasium" RAU, MC: GR 89401/RAU 1017
SEP "Department of Cats" Acting Ensemble with writer Rolf Schwendter, MC: GR 89402
DEC "Eastern Journey" World Music Orchestra introducing Leena Conquest, MC: GR 89403
Archive: 13 tapes
1990
JAN "Something about..." World Music Quartet feat. Bleda Elibal, MC: GR 90403
JUN "Motions of Europe" TM meets guests, MC: GR 90405/RAU 1018
JUL "World Music Orchestra" at Vienna City Hall with Brian Abrahams, Leena Conquest, Bleda Elibal, Paul Fields, Dill Katz, Rabih Abou Khalil, Fritz Novotny, Jim Pepper, Mohammad Tahmessebi and Levent Tarhan MC: GR 90408
"Vrhunec" Malli - Dafeldecker Duo, CD: EX 128 CD
Archive: 2 tapes, 1 video
1991
JAN "Future here and now" RAU, CD: ITM 1460/GR 91001/RAU 1019
MAY Radio: "Live in St.Gerold" RAU
Archive: 11 DAT, 1 video
1992
JUL "Illumination" RAU live at Jazzfest Vienna, CD: IRJ 009 401S (released 1995)
AUG "Possible fruit" Mia Zabelka´s Duets with Leena Conquest, David Moss, Fritz Novotny, John Zorn etc. CD: EX 172 CD
Tour: Sunny Murray - Fritz Novotny Unit
Archive: 5 DAT, 2 videos
1993
FEB "55 steps..." RAU, CD: GR 93001/RAU 1020
SEP TV: "Circa 55 Schritte durch Europa" with Leena Conquest, Paul Fields, Gerhard Fritsch, Georg Graf, Karl Wilhelm Krbavac, Attila Lörinszky, Sandro Miori, Sepp Mitterbauer, Sunny Murray, Sainkho Namtchylak, Fritz Novotny, Mario Rechtern, Christian Salfellner, Walter Schiefer, Giselher Smekal, Mia Zabelka, Othmar Zechyr and Reinhard Ziegerhofer
Movie: Produced by the Wiener Verkehrsbetriebe
"The Reform Art Unit Subway Performance feat. Sunny Murray" RAU, CD: GR 93003/RAU 1021; MC: GR 93404/RAU 1021
Archive: 11 DAT with RAU and strings
1994
MAR "Unit with Monika Stadler(harp)" MC: GR 94403/RAU 1023
Movie: "Artist in Residence" Walter Malli
MAY "Fritz Novotny & Sunny Murray" Acting Ensemble, MC: GR 94405
MAY "Weigelsdorf" CD: GR 94006
1995
JAN "Human closely" RAU Extended at Alte Schmiede, Vienna CD: VOVES CD 90001/RAU 1002
MAY "Fritz Novotny & Sunny Murray" Acting Ensemble, MC: GR 94405
Archive: 16 DAT, 14 videos
1996
JUL Release "The Reform Art Unit - For John Coltrane and Pablo Picasso" RAU, CD: VOVES 90001 / RAU 1002
1997
JUN "Millenium" Live at the Kreuzstadel/Neumarkt/Raab, CD: GR 2000 06 1/2
DEC "Homage to Arnold Schönberg and Anton von Webern" Reform Art Quartet, CD: GR 98011/RAU 1030
1998
JUN Reform Art Quartet / RAU live in Praha
DEC Release "Suite Prague" Reform Art Quartet, CD: GR 98012
1999
JAN "Homage to Josef Mathias Hauer" Reform Art Quartet
JUN Release "Homage to Josef Mathias Hauer" Reform Art Quartet, CD: GR 99001
SEP "Kunsthalle Krems Minoritenkirche" Reform Art Unit, CD: GR 99002
OCT "Alban Berg-Salvador Dali-Thelonius Monk" CD: GR 99003
2000
JAN "Charisma-Xperiment" CD: GR 2000 01
DEC "Light and Shadow Suite" CD: GR 2000 07
DEC "Hommage to Bela Bartok and John Cage" CD: GR 2001 0 06
2001
DEC "Fontana for John Cage" CD: GR 2001 0 06
2002
JAN "Xperimental live at the Porgy and Bess" CD: GR 2002 0 03
JAN "Heute live at the Porgy and Bess" CD: GR 2002 0 04
JAN "Reform Art Unit live at the Porgy and Bess" CD: GR 2002 0 05
JAN "Reform Art Unit live at the Hamerlingsaal Zwettl" CD: GR 2002 0 06
APR "Live at the LDM St.Petersburg" CD: GR 2002 0 30
APR "Live at the Dom Moskau" CD: GR 2002 0 31
NOV "Live at the Millenaris Park/Fogado Budapest" CD: unreleased Trio East
DEC "RAU West live at the Alte Schmiede" CD: unreleased
2003
FEB "Live at the Magyar Nemzeti Museumban Budapest" CD: unreleased
APR "Live at the Alte Schmiede" CD: unreleased
APR "Live at the Mücsarnok Budapest" CD: unreleased Trio East
JUN "Live at the CIK Klagenfurt" CD: unreleased Quartet East
JUN "Live at the Evangelische Kirche - Halleiner Stadtfest" CD: unreleased Quartet East
SEP "RAU live at the Porgy & Bess" CD: unreleased
Contact:
Fritz Novotny
Saikogasse 4/1/12
A-1220 Wien
Austria/Europe
phone&fax +43 1 203 22 17
Records:
Granit Records
P.O.Box 6
A-2111 Harmannsdorf
Austria/Europe
fax +43 2264 6568